These light switch plates are made from original watercolor paintings by Isabelle Dillard (the namesake behind IDILLARD) We think an excellent present for any animal enthusiast might be one of these fantastic elephant paintings:

Visit The Big Chill on Saturday, December 3rd at the Mayo Street Arts Center to see IDILLARD’s gorgeous work and much, much more!

Happy Black Friday, everyone – we hope you’ll be scouting out the deals at local shops instead of waiting in long, crazy lines at the mall today! And we hope even more that you’ll be joining us on Saturday, December 3rd at the Mayo Street Arts Center (10 Mayo St., Portland) to find some great, local products handmade (and hand selected) by your neighbors.

Today we feature pig + fish, the brainchild of Nanako O’Donnell and Deb Gill, two Mainers with a knack for stylish organization. We were so excited when their application arrived in the mail – being able to bring these gorgeous key holders, clocks, bud vases and coat racks to Portland (even if just for a day) was too much to resist!

It's about time you bought this gorgeous clock from Pig + Fish - click to view listing!

The selection of colors, patterns, found imagery and clean lines in the items from pig+fish provide accents for any home. Boy, oh boy, that clock up there would look great in my mustard yellow and rust orange living room. Where would you put it?

Modern Wall-Mounted Flower Vases

Deb and Nanako wanted shoppers to be sure their flower vases are great pieces for your home all year round: “Flower vases aren’t just for the summer – fresh flowers are welcome any time of year! Our cheerful flower vases uplift year round.”

Who doesn't love airstreams?

And perhaps, most functionally, these key holders (which come in many patterns + colors) are a dream come true for someone like me – I think it’s genetic, but we are constantly losing our keys in my family. If you have a gorgeous place to put them (like, say, the airstream key holder above or the bright and cheery one below) then how can you possibly resist putting them in the same place every time? Favorite.

Happy Friday, everyone! Today we bring you MonkiVintage, an amazing selection of vintage Scandinavian and letterpress goodies and all kinds of great home decor. We interviewed MonkiVintage and you can see their lovely responses below!

The Big Chill: What’s the first sign of Winter, in your opinion?

MonkiVintage: Snow!! And leafless trees (and water views!)

TBC: What items from your business will keep customers happy throughout O’, this dark and endless season?

MV: All our items are vintage, most are one of a kind and our stock is continually changing. Many of the items in the shop are selected for their happiness-inducing qualities! At any given time we’ll have brightly colored Scandinavian enamelware like Cathrineholm and Finel, mid century ceramics like Bennington Potters and Glidden, or teak or brightly colored and whimsical “toys” and objets like Kay Bojesen monkeys, Hans Bolling ducks or Scandinavian style blocks. We also carry a large inventory of vintage letterpress type that we sell in sets of cheery words and phrases like “be happy,” “you & me” or “I love you.” We also offer custom type sets, so the winter weary can create a typographic reminder of whatever makes them happy, like the beach or sun or Bowser or wine or bacon art…

TBC: What’s your favorite comfort food during those “Oh my Gosh, it’s 7 degrees out, I have to let the faucets drip all night and wear two pairs of socks in bed!!” days?

MV: Gravy Danger from Silly’s in the East End. 70,000 calories of cheesy, salty, bacon-y comfort in a takeout tin.

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Oh, yes! Living down the street from Silly’s is big trouble (and pretty awesome) in the middle of the winter – we totally know what you mean! Come see MonkiVintage’s letterpress art, vintage home wares and mid-century goodness (and stop at Silly’s for lunch afterwards!) at The Big Chill arts, crafts and vintage sale on Saturday, December 3rd from 10am to 4pm. Mayo Street Arts Center, 10 Mayo St., Portland, Maine. Yeah!

I’m beside myself! The December 2011 Big Chill Poster is just gorgeous! Each one in the edition of 100 (all signed by Meagan Anderson and Kris Johnsen) is a little different, with layers and layers of colors. Watch that video up there and see just how committed to handmade quality this whole song and dance is. Also you get to hear The Screaming Females as the soundtrack and now you know just how great they are. We’re hoping they don’t get stolen from the shops, boutiques and community centers we are putting them up in before the 3rd! But if they were, we’d totally understand, cause these posters are frame-worthy.